Company InfoFor over thirty years, Hill Advisory Services has
been investigating cases of harassment, discrimination and workplace violence
Canada wide. We train internal investigators in the same safe, reliable
and respectful techniques that we use to conduct fair, thorough and effective
investigations. Our entire course is built around
the concept of a formal case of harassment/discrimination/bullying/sexual
harassment and provides hours of professional development on how to properly
plan and execute a thorough investigation. About the FacilitatorDylan Hill is
the sole instructor/speaker for our Harassment Investigation workshops.
He has over twenty years of experience in the subject area and has been
delivering training on this topic for the past twenty years. Dylan Hill
graduated with honors from Red River College Human Resource Program and is a
CPHR Candidate. Since 2001, he has been investigating cases of
harassment, discrimination, violence and wrongdoing incidents in workplaces
across Canada. Course
OutlineHarassment Investigation Level One and Two workshop Day 1, Level One: Specific Learning Objectives: Roles and responsibilities of the investigator •
maintaining objectivity •
clarifying the issues •
determining and substantiating facts •
investigating thoroughly •
allowing a fair hearing for all •
documenting and taking statements •
exploring resolution Small group work (with facilitator feedback) •
how to prepare for an investigation and an interview •
logistics •
answering questions •
complete preparation Small group work (with facilitator feedback) •
detailed information analysis task •
how to analyze information •
priority of questions •
question phrasing. Conducting interviews: •
mandate development. •
establishing a comfort level •
evidence management •
identifying hearsay •
questioning techniques •
maintaining neutral demeanor and comments •
timing •
planning for potential behavior concerns The afternoon of day 1 is spent in group work.
Participants are presented with an initial complaint from a real-life case and
are asked to work in their groups to develop questions for a Complainant. They
are asked to prepare for the interviews as they would in their workplace,
complete with mandate and considering the learning from tasks covered in the
morning. Participants are then asked to role-play with the assistance of
professional actors, who come in the play the Complainant and a support person
attending with the Complainant as their representative. When participants are
not actively engaged in the questioning, they are asked to take notes, and to
process additional questions that may arise. The afternoon is spent in this
way, with immediate and ongoing feedback to the participants in the form of
realistic reactions. Day 2, Level One: Specific Learning Objectives: The morning is spent in small group analysis of information
received from the Complainant’s interview on day 1. Participants are asked to
work in their groups to develop questions for the Respondent. They are asked to
prepare for the interviews as they would in their workplace, complete with
mandate and considering the learnings from day 1 and evidence gathered from the
Complainant’s interview. In the afternoon portion, participants are then asked to role play
with the assistance of professional actors, who come in the play the Respondent
along with the Respondent’s Lawyer who attends the interview as a
representative. When participants are not actively engaged in the questioning,
they are asked to take notes, and to process additional questions that may
arise. The afternoon is spent in this way, with immediate and ongoing feedback
to the participants in the form of realistic reactions. Some important areas covered throughout day one and two are: •
information to share in a mandate. •
how to reply to questions/concerns regarding mandate •
how to phrase questions •
how to compile accurate notes •
disclosure and retention of notes •
how to account for additional questions •
how to maintain appropriate comments •
how to deal with a Lawyer’s questions regarding process •
how to deal with distractions •
how to conclude an interview •
how to ensure information and investigations are unbiased •
how to ensure investigations are based on evidence Day 3, Level One: Specific Learning Objectives: The day begins in small group analysis of information received
from day 1&2 interviews with the Complainant and Respondent. The groups are
asked to review their notes in detail and determine; what was agreed to by the
parties, what was not agreed to, what was missed due to investigator error,
what information still needs to be collected and to identify the central issue
in the case. The group will close out the morning with a witness interview.
Participants are asked to role-play with the assistance of a professional
actor, who comes in the play the role of a witness. Some important areas covered on day 3 are: •
attention to detail •
how to set a witness at ease •
the base 5 witness questions •
how to identify assumptions •
how to identify bias •
the impact of bias on an investigation and its possible appeal •
how witness information comes into play •
how to formulate a witness list •
evidence management •
how to take a strategic view in analysis The final afternoon is spent providing feedback on the interview
process from the facilitator. Some important areas covered are: •
how questions were phrased •
how to deal with reactions seen •
mandate delivery •
how to close an interview •
how to gather and maintain evidence •
note taking •
statement preparation •
confidentiality •
order of witness scheduling •
re-direct Feedback is also presented regarding the case. We investigated the
actual claim, so we spend time discussing the real-life case to provide deeper
understanding and conclusion. The remainder of the time is spent in a large group reviewing: •
how to prepare questions •
how to prepare notes •
how to prepare statements •
how to prepare final reports •
an overview on conducting credibility assessments •
what to think about when writing conclusions •
the principles of natural justice Finally, the
instructor circles back on the initial questions that participants posed on day
one of the training which identified “must haves” in the subject area. Harassment Investigation Level Two Re-direct is the information
gathering/interview process used at the end of the investigation, before
a determination is rendered and the final report is produced. The re-direct process is used to fill in gaps
in information as well as provide the complainant and/or respondent with the
opportunity to respond to new information or allegations. Investigators need to be
able to differentiate between “need to know” and “want to know”, as the latter
can impact upon an investigation team’s credibility and objectivity. The most important subject matter to be covered
during re-direct should be missing information, information that requires
clarification and new allegations that either the complainant or respondent
need to reply to. Participants of Level Two
are provided with advance reading materials, a Complainant’s statement and
Respondent’s statement. They are tasked
with an investigation at the end stages and asked to analyze the statements to
determine final re-direct questions for the main parties and any outstanding
witness questions. Prior attendance in Level 1 is required to attend Level 2. Day 1, Level Two Specific Learning
Objectives:
The entire day is spent in small groups. Participants work with
statements from a real life case and are asked to work in their groups to
develop questions for a number of Witnesses. They are asked to prepare for the
interviews as they would in their workplace, complete with mandate and
considering the statements from the Complainant and Respondent. Participants are then asked
to role-play with the assistance of professional actors, who come in the play
the role of Witnesses. The facilitator provides real-time feedback on the
interviews while in session. When participants are not actively engaged in the
questioning of the witness, they are asked to take notes, and to process
additional questions that may arise. The entire afternoon is spent in this way,
with immediate and ongoing feedback to the participants in the form of
realistic reactions and facilitator feedback. Some important areas covered are:
•
how to reply to questions/concerns regarding mandate •
how to phrase questions, the ‘base 5’ question template •
how to compile accurate notes •
how to set a witness at ease •
how to maintain appropriate comments and body language •
how to deal with distractions •
how to ensure information and investigations are unbiased. While the learnings are in similar topic areas, in the Level 2
course, more time is spent on the subtitles of each point and building off
previous teachings. Day 2, Level Two: Specific Learning Objectives:
The entire day is
spent in small groups. Participants begin with information gathered to date and
are asked to prepare for re-direct interviews with the Complainant and
Respondent as they would in their workplace, complete with mandate and
considering the learning from Level 1 and information gathered from witness’s
interviews. Participants are then asked to role-play with the assistance of
professional actors, who come in the play a Complainant and a Respondent. The
facilitator provides real-time feedback on the interviews while in session.
When participants are not actively engaged in the questioning of the witness,
they are asked to take notes, and to process additional questions that may
arise. The entire day is spent in this way, with immediate and ongoing feedback
to the participants in the form of realistic reactions and facilitator
feedback. Some important areas covered are: •
how to phrase re-direct questions •
how to account for additional questions •
how to deal with escalating behavior during the interview • how to conclude an interview • how to ensure investigations are based on evidence • how to consider scope and the essence of the complaint • analyze evidence and come to findings, determine potential
breaches to policy. Feedback is also presented regarding the case. We
investigated the actual claim, so we spend time discussing the real-life case,
to provide deeper understanding and conclusion.
PricingHarassment Investigation Level One, 3-day program: $1,400.00 + GST - August 18 – 20th, 2025 Harassment Investigation Level One & Two, 5-day program: $ 2,400.00 + GST - August 18th – 22nd,
2025 Already attended Level One? Join us for Level Two on August 21 & 22nd! Registration deadline: July 14th, 2025 Late registrations will be accepted space permitting,
contact us at sswain@hilladvisory.com with any questions, or call 204-831-7661. Start time is 11:00am Atlantic time daily. Contact us
for specific daily timing. What to expect
from our virtual courseOur training sessions incorporate live
presentations, large group discussions, and small group work, ensuring
participants engage with the material in various ways for deeper understanding
and practical application. Each day includes small group tasks. The key
tasks for Level One are: ·
Day 1:
Complainant Interview ·
Day 2:
Respondent Interview ·
Day 3: Witness
Interview Level Two continues with the same format,
with interviews on the final two days. This structure provides ample
opportunity to refine skills and techniques. Active EngagementParticipants take notes and process
additional questions when not actively engaged in interviews, reinforcing
learning and ensuring continuous involvement. Diverse AttendeesOur sessions gather attendees from across
Canada, bringing diverse perspectives and enriching the learning environment.
These sessions ensure participants leave with a deep understanding and enhanced
practical skills, ready for professional application. Or contact Sheri Swain: sswain@hilladvisory.com 204-831-7661
|
Print Page
